In a study published online July 25 in the journal Nature, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers identified a signaling pathway that activates the NLRP3 inflammasome implicated in several severe chronic inflammatory disorders.

In the U.S., it's estimated the number of people aged 65 and older will double over the next 30 years. With the first baby boomers now turning 73, the demand for cardiac care is expected to skyrocket, not just in the U.S. but elsewhere as well. Even though they have more cardiovascular problems, fewer women and people over 65 are recruited for randomized clinical trials than men and younger people. To find out, a team of researchers took a close look at the 25 most influential clinical trials for each year in the 20-year period from 1996 to 2015. They compared the age and sex of participants to data published in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2016 on the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in America.

Phospholipases are enzymes that cleave the tail group off of phospholipids, which make up cell membranes. These tails, or free fatty acids, can go on to act as signaling molecules. Lysosomal phospholipase A2, or LPA2, is a phospholipase from the macrophages that protect the lung.

People with chronic kidney disease are at unusually high risk of also developing cardiovascular disease; in fact, a patient with non-dialysis kidney disease is more likely to die of heart failure than to develop end-stage kidney failure. However traditional atherosclerosis risk factors contribute less strongly to cardiovascular disease in chronic kidney disease patients than in subjects with intact kidney function.

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A drug currently in clinical trials for treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may someday have value for treating heart failure, according to results of early animal studies by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers.

Gestational diabetes may increase the risk of blood vessel dysfunction and heart disease in offspring by altering a smooth muscle protein responsible for blood vessel network formation. Understanding of the protein’s function in fetal cells may improve early detection of disease in children. The study is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology—Cell Physiology.

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Postmenopausal factors may have an impact on the heart-protective qualities of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) – also known as ‘good cholesterol.’ The findings bring into question the current use of total HDL cholesterol to predict heart disease risk.